Pachuari said that “the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has estimated that direct emissions from meat production account for about 18% of the world’s total greenhouse gas emissions,” when explaining the reasons behind his comment. “So I want to highlight the fact that among options for mitigating climate change, changing diets is something one should consider.”
Then the story goes on to say:
The National Farmers Union said that people should find ways of environmental farming instead of giving up meat. “The NFU is committed to ensuring farming is part of the solution to climate change, rather than being part of the problem,” said a spokesperson for the organization. “We strongly support research aimed at reducing methane emissions from livestock farming by, for example, changing diets and using anaerobic digestion.”
Now I’ve been around cows a time or two and I know they ’emit methane gas’ quite often. So what is he saying, that if you eat less meat, there will be less cows to emit this gas or the processing of the cows is what emits methane gas? I’m just a bit confused. I guess next they’ll suggest we don’t eat so many beans and broccoli so we won’t emit so much gas either? Am I looking at that wrong or what?